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Seed growers in the North Rift have been re-assured of the Government’s commitment to producing quality seeds to achieve.

The Kenya Seed Company Managing Director Fredrick Oloibe said the working relationships between them and the Agricultural Development Corporation (ADC) has steadily contributed to ensuring standard seed is available to the farmers.

Speaking to the People Daily at the Elgon Downs Farm in Endebes, the MD  requested for more acreage from ADC in order to meet the required demand for seed production countrywide and noted that the country now requires 6000 acres of land for production of quality seed.

“The acreage has been declining due to sub divisions of farms among siblings in families of farmers with some opting To plant seed while others move to grow other related crops after citing low returns in maize,’’ he noted.

He said Kenya Seed is committed to organizing research field days to enable farmers to showcase different seed varieties.

He reiterated the company’s commitment towards overseeing it’s mandate of research in top quality and certified seed in efforts to boost food security which is the government’s key agenda.

Seed growers hailed Agriculture CS Peter Munya for his recent visit in the county where he called for concerted efforts from stakeholders towards ensuring adequate food production .

“The CSs commitment towards supporting Kenya Seed acting Managing Director and his ADC counterpart Mohammed Bule in quality seed production should be hailed by all farmers. We assure the government of our total support towards ending sub division of land to boost seed production,’’ said Engineer Wabuyele.

The farmers representatives welcomed the government’s agenda towards showcasing new and emerging varieties that are adaptable towards climate change .

 The farmers further rubbished plans to have an Agricultural zoning bill tabled in parliament and asked the president to personally intervene in order to save the maize farmers from over exploitation by cartels behind the move.